Kent Walker, Google’s president of Global Affairs, has urged the EU to increase AI adoption through a sensible regulatory approach, particularly amid increasing competition from China.
Speaking at the competitive European summit in Brussels, Walker positioned AI as a tool philosophers and economists called “invention of the method of invention.” Executives from Google and Alphabet emphasized that there is a very high stake in the future prosperity and security of the continent.
While acknowledging the recent assertion that it is essential that AI is right, Walker pointed to the EU’s lack of adoption. He highlighted how intense geopolitical competition and government investment in China are driving AI integration across its economy.
“The strategy is paying off,” Walker said. “Latest estimates suggest that up to 83% of Chinese companies already use generated AI, while the European Commission estimates that Europe is adopting around 14%.”
According to Walker, this delay in AI adoption has been exacerbated by a regulatory environment that is becoming increasingly difficult for EU companies to navigate. He said that since 2019, more than 100 new EU regulations have targeted the digital economy, leading to a situation where “more than 60% of European companies say that regulations are now the biggest obstacle to investment in the EU.”
This sentiment is supported by a recent Danish government investigation that estimated that new regulations could impose an additional annual fee of 124 billion euros on European businesses and administrations. Walker also pointed to slow progress in implementing Mario Draghi’s recommendations on EU competitiveness, with only 11.2% of his ideas being adopted in a year. Citing an International Monetary Fund survey, he described fragmentation within the single market. There, internal barriers produce what amounts to a 45% tariff on goods and an astonishing 110% tariff on services.
In response to these challenges, Google Executive proposed a direct three-part strategy for the EU to regain its AI footing. We will build the foundation of smart policies, build recruitment through workforce skills, and expand to support widespread innovation.
The basic steps, Walker said, require simplifying the AI regulatory environment to create a framework that supports innovation like China, while ensuring focus, coordinated and balanced regulations.
“Regulating AI innovation in a way that supports it means focusing on the real-world effects of AI,” he explained. This approach involves filling specific regulatory gaps rather than implementing sweep rules that could suppress beneficial and low-risk applications. He urged regulators to “oversee output, not input, and manage risks and outcomes rather than microcontrolling science.”
The coordinated regulatory framework applies existing regulations where necessary, harmonizing international standards, and helps providers provide the best and latest AI models for EU citizens and businesses. Walker also emphasized the need to design rules that not only prevent harm, but also actively nurture innovation.
Google, he declared, is a dedicated partner in Europe. It has 30,000 employees and a massive infrastructure investment that includes seven data centers and 13 cloud regions. He pointed out that the Commission is currently seeking opinions to shape the agenda and encouraged businesses to share their opinions before the October 14th deadline.
Part 2 of the strategy focuses on building AI adoption in the EU by equipping people and businesses to use these rapidly advancing tools. Walker showed the pace of change by revealing that Google’s new AI model is “300 times more efficient than the cutting edge of just two years ago.”
To ensure that citizens are not left behind, he defended public-private partnerships to accelerate skills training. He mentioned Google’s work over the past decade to help over 14 million Europeans learn digital skills and its 15 million Euro AI Opportunity Fund. Although companies can launch AI pilot projects, they emphasized that it is the government’s role to expand its most successful examples, just like what China is doing for the economy.
Bill’s trust is also central to the increasing adoption of AI in the EU. Walker explained to Google’s Sovereign Cloud and AI Solutions how EU customers can have full control over their data, and through partnerships with leaders such as France’s Thales and Schwarz Group, it ensures that it is managed according to local regulatory requirements and European values.
Finally, Walker explained the third stage: Scale-up. He described the conversation as “just a small part of that possibility,” and tried to move the conversation beyond the chatbots that described AI as being possible for a scientific breakthrough.
He provided powerful examples that are already moving, such as the Alphafold in Google Deepmind. It creates a database of almost every protein known to science, and is currently used by over 3 million researchers worldwide. This tool helps scientists at the University of Malta to better understand the genetic causes of osteoporosis. Another tool, GNOME, is to transform materials science by discovering hundreds of thousands of new materials with potential uses for energy, transport and clean water.
Walker concluded with a call for direct action and reiterating that the tools are ready and the possibilities are clear. “European leaders say AI leadership is at the top of their agenda, and that’s the time to make those ambitions a reality,” he urged.
Google Executives said this could be achieved by clearing regulatory hurdles for innovators, accelerating research through partnerships, expanding adoption of AI tools, ignite a new era of EU growth, and competing with geopolitical rivals like China.
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